Most medical conditions, including cardiovascular disease, are affected by diet, both what is in the diet and what is missing from the diet. The incidence of cardiovascular disease and risks associated with the disease have been shown to be influenced by diet and dietary supplements.
Cardiovascular disease is a major cause of death, killing five times more women than breast cancer and is responsible for nearly one third of all adult male fatalities. In most cases, cardiovascular disease is actually blood vessel disease resulting from the deposit of fatty materials in the inner walls of the arteries, which blocks the flow of blood carrying oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle. This condition, atherosclerosis, affects everyone. The degree to which an individual is affected is dependent upon a number of factors including age, gender, genetics and various life-style choices, including diet.
More than one and a half million Americans suffer a heart attack each year and for about half of them the heart attack is the first indication that they have a cardiovascular disease. More than 350,000 heart attack sufferers die suddenly from the heart attack before they reach a hospital and receive medical attention.
There are two main strategies for reducing cardiovascular risk from atherosclerosis. One is to reduce cholesterol levels and the other is to prevent the oxidation of low density lipoprotein. The importance of decreasing dietary saturated fat and cholesterol is well established, but a number of other factors appear to influence the risk of cardiovascular disease as well. Oxidation of low density lipoprotein (LDL-lipoprotein) also appears to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Epidemiological studies suggest a negative correlation between the occurrence of cardiovascular disease and blood concentrations of lipophilic antioxidants such as vitamins A and E and beta-carotene. (Lepage, et al., Cardiovascular Drugs and Therapy, 10(5):567-71, 1996). Studies also indicate that dietary supplements of trace elements, such as selenium, zinc, chromium, magnesium and copper, and vitamin A, which are involved in the activity of many antioxidant enzymes have potential benefit to cardiovascular disease patients. (Lepage, et al.; Durlach, et al., Magnesium Res., 9(2):139-141, 1996; J. Nerve, J. Cardiovascular Res., 3(1):42-47, 1996; Houtman, J. P., J. Cardiovascular Risk, 3(1):18-25, 1996). In particular, the well-known antioxidant properties of selenium have been linked to lower incidence of cardiovascular disease in humans (Badmaev, et al., Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, 2(4):59-62, 1996; Kuznetsov, et al., Eksperimentalnaia I Klinicheskaia Farmakologiia, 58(5):26-28, 1995; Salvini, et al., Am. J. Cardiol., 76(17):1218-1221, 1995). It is thought that lipid peroxidation and low antioxidant status are involved in the early phases of atherosclerosis (Bonithon-Kopp, et al., Am. J. Clin. Nutrition, 65(1):121-127, 1997).
Another major risk factor for the circulatory system is hyperhomocysteinemia. The prooxidant, homocysteine, has been found to be associated with cardiovascular disease. (P. O. Kwiterovich, Jr., J. Am. Dietetic Assoc., 97(7 Suppl):S31-41, 1997). The vitamin B complex, particularly folic acid, B.sub.12 and B.sub.6 are essential in the prevention of hyperhomocysteinemia and dietary folic acid has been shown to lower blood levels of homocysteine (Kwiterovich).
Preventive measures are probably the most effective methods of dealing with cardiovascular disease and such measures should include diet and dietary supplementation. Although the etiology of cardiovascular disease is multifactorial, certain dietary supplements have been shown to provide a statistically significant benefit in reducing the risk or reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease and associated conditions. However, to date, the approach to micronutrient supplementation has not considered all of the factors associated with the cardiovascular system. Presently, medical interventions focus upon treating hypertension, hypercholesteremia or hyperinsulinemia as a means of reducing risk or progression of cardiovascular disease.
A more multi-dimensional approach that focuses on the cardiovascular system rather than on the individual factors that lead to cardiovascular disease or the individual conditions that affect the cardiovascular system is needed. There is a need for a dietary supplement which concurrently and synergistically addresses the factors that influence the physiology and pathology of the heart, arteries and veins.